Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ4 エピソードII) is the second part of the episodic game Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and was released on the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network on 15 May 2012. It was followed on 16 May 2012, on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade. It was announced by Gamespot via a teaser trailer, but not much else was known about the game itself other than a few bits of information. The first was that Sega has announced Tails will be in the game. This was first noticed due to a Sega Blog tidbit relating to a poem called "The Hedgehog and the Fox", which would refer to both Sonic and Tails. He was later confirmed in both a teaser trailer and the logo's official reveal. Metal Sonic is an antagonist in Episode II as well, first shown in the secret ending of Episode I and the new teaser trailer.

Sega stated numerous times that they had taken the strong feedback given to them about Episode I and taken it into account in the new episode, resulting in a "new physics engine" and a "new graphics engine". Uncurling from ramps was removed, reducing the need for the Homing Attack. Animations like Sonic's running animation was also improved, and level design was greatly improved with multiple ways to reach the end.

The game's product page on Xbox Live Arcade leaked out several pieces of brand new information about the game, including four brand new zones (with one of the four being a "throwback" zone), offline and online co-op multiplayer, and a brand new Special Stage, which is based on the Special Stage featured in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

In this Episode, Eggman revives one of his greatest robots, Metal Sonic. The second episode sees Sonic traveling through new zones, and this episode ties into Metal Sonic's original rivalry from Sonic CD. Tails joins Sonic in this Episode by following him through the stages as well as for using all new tag moves which are required to get through some stages. Tails can be controlled by a second player, allowing for Co-op play. They each share the same lives counter and ring count, so dying is much more dangerous.

Versions

In addition to the Android version, a special version titled Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II THD was released for Nvidia Tegra devices. This version was sold on Google Play, and was preloaded on the Nvidia Shield.[23]

In August 2018, the Android and iOS versions were added to the Sega Forever brand, making them free to play with ads.[21]

Platform differences

Sega stated there will not be a Wii version of Episode 2 due to various reasons, probably the biggest factor being the Wii's filesize limit and the graphics engine. However, right out of the announcement gate for Episode II, they announced many other platforms they didn't have at launch for Episode I, mainly the PC and phone platforms.

The iOS ports are easier than the console ports overall. Bosses take less hits to defeat and the required ring total in Special Stages is lower than the console ports.

Downloadable content

Leak of beta

On April 21st the game was leaked close to midnight CST through Steam's pre-order system. Pre-ordering the game would lead to the option to download a prototype version of the game immediately. The leak was fixed, yet some YouTube videos containing gameplay were uploaded.

Sega’s Community Manager later stated that, although the leak was “regrettable”, those who had downloaded it while it was available had done this “legitimately” and would not be punished, with the corollary that videos of and online reports about the game would not be taken down by Sega.[43] Later, Sega’s Brand Manager, Ken Balough, stated that the leak would not cause any alteration to the scheduled release date of the game.[44]